Swivel for rotary drills



UNITED STATES GRANVILLE A. HUMASON, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS,

.arIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO JOHN W.

PARKER, OF HOUSTGN, TEXAS.

SWIVEL FOR ROTARY DRILLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

Application filed January 7, 1919. Serial No. 270,078.

T0 czZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, GRANVILLE A. Horm- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris county, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improyement in Swivels for Rotary Drills, of which the following is a full, clear,.and exact description, such as will enable others skllled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in swivels for rotary drills.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel form of nonrotatable support for the rotary drill stem used in drilling wells for oil, water, gas and the like.

Another object is to provide such a swivel support that the upper rotating member of the drill stem will be entirely inclosed so that no sand, grit, or other foreign substance will find entrance to the working parts.

Another object is to eflectually prevent the leakage of water from the drill stern connections through the swivel and around the rotating surfaces.

Other objects and advantages 1n construction and durability will appear in the specification which follows and will be pointed out with more particularity in the claims.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like parts are designated by like numerals throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a side view, partly in central longitudinal section showing the principal working parts of my 1nvention. Fig. 2 is a'transverse section taken on the plane 2-2 of Fig. 1, Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged views showing the valve and valve stem used with-my device.

In rotary drilling it is customary to support the rotating drill stem and the drill by means of a nonrotatable swivel suspended in the derrick above the well. ,This swivel is connected by means of a cable and the usual block and tackle from the derrick and may thusbe raised and lowered when other lengths of drill stem are added and also to accommodate the progress of the drill as it advances in the drilling operation. The upper end of the hollow drill stem is connected to a nonrotatable hose through which the flushing water for the drillis pumped downward into the drill stem.

In the drawing the number 1, designates my improved drill swivel, which is supported from the derrick by means of a cable attached to the bail 2, shown broken off in the drawing. This bail is pivoted to two laterally projecting posts 3 on the upper end of the swivel block. The supporting swivel block which constitutes the main body of the device is composed of two parts of about equal length adapted to the co-acting faces of the two parts and are held in registered position by means of bolts or screws 4, passing through holes in the two cooperating lugs 5, 5 on the adjacent ends of the two sections thereof.

The swivel block 1 is bored out interiorly to form a chamber 7 in which the supportmg head 8 for the upper end of the drill stem 9 is adapted to rotate. This supporting head 8 is approximately cylindrical in shape and has a central passage therethrough in the lower half of which is attac-hed the rotating drill stem 9 which is threaded therein at 10. The rotating member 8 is provided at its upper and lower ends with annular projecting portions 11 and 12 respectively. Both of the portions 11 and 12 are provided with annular roller bearing tracks or races 13 and 14 to accommodate the two sets of roller bearings 15 and 16 respectively. Midway between the upper and lower bearing faces is another lateral bearing track 17 in which a series of cylindrical bearing members 18 are adapted to rotate.

The upper section of the main swivel block 1 may be constructed with a detachable fit together alonginner member 19 provided at its lower end 1 with a track 20 for the bearings 15 and being threaded interiorly also for attachment to a water inlet pipe 22. Said member 19 has a downwardly extending portion 21 separating the upper member 11 of the rotating head from the central water passage through the block. Said pipe 22 furnishes an. inlet for the flushing water which is pumped downwardly therethrough to the drill stem. The upper end of the inlet pipe 22 is provided with a T for the entrance of the flushing water. Two lateral pipes 23 and 24; furnish an attachment for a flexible hose or other means through which water from the pump is forced into the pipe. One of these lateral pipes 24 is shown in the drawing as being closed by cap 25, when not in use. It is not ordinarily necessary to use more than one pump in forcing the water into the pipe but if found necessary water may be pumped in through either of the inlet pipes 23 or 24. The upper end of the pipe 22, above the inlet pipes, may be closed permanently or may be threaded to receive the screw cap 26. The threaded opening into which the threaded'cap 26 is secured may be used also as a means of attachment for a hose, but is intended particularly for means of'attaching a load indicator or other similar device by means of which it may be ascertained what weighti s supported upon the bitas it operates in the hole. This is, however, no part of my present invention. i

The lower end of the pipe-22 is somewhat reduced 'indiameter at 27 below the threaded portion and projects downwardly into the .upper end of the drill stem,9. F or a portion of the distance where itfits within the drill stem it is surrounded by a'wide packing ring 28. This packing'ring is'compressed against a shoulder 29 on the inner face of the rotating head 8 by means of a'nietallic' washer 30 and a spiral spring 31 which tends to force the washer 30 and the packing 28 into close Contact between the two pipes for the water supply.

.One end ofthe spiral spring 31 is seated upona collar 32 threaded on the lower end offithe pipe 22." This collar 32 serves not only to limit the downward pressure of thespring 31, but also as a valve chamber for the lower end ofthe inlet pipe 22. For

' this purpose the collar 32 is provided with a beveled seat 33 into which a valve 3 1 is adapted to fit. The valve 34 is provided with an upwardly extending valve stem 35, on the'iupper'end oi" which is a crossbar 3.6 which serves to prevent the valve from dropping from the lower end of the inlet pipe. In its ordinary'operative position, it'is obviousthat this valve will hang downwardly below the collar 32 allowing the 'water to be pumped downwardly past the same without obstruction. Shoul'd,however, there be a backward pressure in the drill stem the valve 3 1will'be forced upwardly with the upward current of water and seat itself within the opening 33 and prevent'the waterfromthe well from passing' upwardly and into the pipe 23 leading to thepump. Figs; 3 and 4 have been to more clearly show'the construction of the valve stem 35 and the stop bar 36 there OIL From the description already given it is obvious that the rotation of the 'drillstem 9 will cause the. supporting block 8 to rotate therewith inside the swivel block 1 in which it is mounted; The rotating head Sis sepa ratedon its upper andlower faces from the swivel block 'so' that the full weight of the drill stemwill'be carried by the roller bear ings 16; Any lateral thrust will be' taken up mainly by the-bearings 18 in theside 'rings at the angles of said of the rotating head 8 and when the weight of the block itself is allowed to rest upon the rotating drill stem, the weight of the block will be supported by the bearings 15 at the upper end of the rotating head 8.

The member 19 in the upper section of the head 1 is made detachable in order that, when necessary, the bearings 15 may be reached for lubrication. In order that the lubricant upon the bearings'15, 16 and 18 may be retained about the rotating surfaces, packing rings 37 of'compressible substance are provided at each side of the lower bear ings 16. Similar packing rings, 38, 39 and 40" are also provided at'the angles of the working faces of the rotating block 8. These packing rings serve not only to retain the lubricant upon the bearing surfaces but also to prevent 'an'outward passage of water and sediment from the drill stem andthe inlet pipe 22'. It will thus be practically impos sible for water or any foreign substance to find entrance about the rotating surfaces of the supporting head 8 and thereby prevent its proper lubrication or to cause wear about the bearings. A swivel block thus constructed will be practically self contained and will support the rotating drill stem for even will necessitate lubrication only at compara tively long intervals. There will be no lealc age of water from the inlet pipe about the rotating surfaces as is more or less common in the present form of swivels now in use. Having thus described my invention, the further "advantages of which will be obvious, what I claim as'new and desire protect by Letters Patent is: l i

luln'a swivel for well drilling, a rotatable drill stem having an annular bearing head H- shaped in vertical cross section, a non-rotatable supporting block shaped to receive said head, bearings between the upper, lower, and side faces of said'head and said bloclqan inlet pipe in said block and fitting within said head and packing pose described.

2. In a swivel for well drilling, a rotatable drill stein, a head thereon cylindrical in shape and having annular flanges at its upper and lower ends, a supporting block entirely inclosing said head and having a central chamber shaped. to fit closely about the same, bearing races in said chamber, at the upper and lower ends of said flanges and at the side of said head, a channel extending through said head block and means to prevent the passage of liquid from said i ile o said. ea ings I 1 testi e y wher emati e a x my signature this the of January A D.

a GRANVILLE A. n-U asoN.

ead for the pe 

